16 May 2023

UN Global Road Safety Week: time to elevate AI in mobility?

People walking over a crossroad with cars waiting. Profile image on Liselott Johansson to the left and a speech bubble to the right saying "We demand safe and sustainable Mobility, Streets for live #Rethink mobility"

The 7th UN Global Road Safety Week takes place this week, May 15-21 2023. It serves as a platform for anyone involved in mobility to host activities that raise awareness about road safety issues. At Greater Than, safety and sustainability are what matter most to us, which is why we are dedicated to empowering our clients with the most meaningful and valuable data insights that enable them to contribute to a safer, more sustainable future.

Download now: How AI gives mobility companies greater control of risk and insurance costs

Why do we need UN Global Road Safety Week?

The United Nations (UN) highlights that road traffic injures are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Approximately 1.3 million people are killed on the roads every year, and around 50 million more are injured.

The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 targets a 50% reduction in road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. The Plan states that road traffic deaths and injuries can be prevented by addressing the whole of the transport system, including taking action to ensure safe roads, vehicles, and behaviors.

What’s the theme of UN Global Road Safety Week?

While there are several key messages, the main theme of this year’s UN Global Road Safety Week is #RethinkMobility. The UN highlights that there is a desperate need for governments and their partners to rethink mobility. Also, that safety must be at the core of efforts to reimagine how we move in the world.

Of course, there are many ways to #RethinkMobility. At Greater Than, we encourage anyone involved in mobility management to give thought to the impact that drivers have on the planet. More importantly, to think about how this impact can be measured and utilized to deliver road safety and environmental benefits.

The impact of mobility CAN be quantified

Sadly, in some ways, society appears to accept road traffic deaths and injuries as an inevitable consequence of road travel. It’s down to all of us to rethink this. Artificial intelligence is capable of predicting road crashes. It can also predict climate impact. Imagine what a difference it could make if every driver could see their own impact on road safety and the environment. And more importantly, if they did something about it.

It doesn’t have to be difficult to determine crash probability. At Greater Than, all we need is GPS data and we can start predicting crash probability after just 1km of driving. If organizations globally used this technology to predict and prevent crashes from happening, we could see dramatic results on a global scale.

Who should take action during UN Global Road Safety Week?

UN Global Road Safety Week is an ideal opportunity for anyone involved in mobility to stop and think. Does their approach to risk management do anything to incentivize safer driving? Take an insurance company, for example, which uses a pooled pricing model. If the driver will pay the same price for their premium regardless of how they drive, is there any incentive to adopt safer behaviors?

Insurance firms, driver risk management companies, fleets, and mobility providers can all take action to encourage safer driving. Uncovering new driving risk insights, being transparent with drivers, and providing feedback or training to improving driving attitude can make a real difference in the reduction of traffic crashes.

Some of the key benefits of using AI to uncover crash probability include the ability to:

  • Identify high-risk drivers for targeted training or intervention
  • Recognize and engage the safest drivers to maintain low-risk driving
  • Measure risk in real-time and quickly observe changes in risk level
  • Compare driver risk level regardless of vehicle type, fuel type, or location
  • Facilitate usage-based or behavior-based pricing in motor insurance

UN Global Road Safety Week is the perfect time to get started

Why not use UN Global Road Safety Week and its theme of #RethinkMobility as a reason to elevate your road safety efforts? At Greater Than, we’re proud to work with world-leading customers who are passionate about road safety. By converting their GPS data into a Crash Probability Score, we help them play an important role in a safer future of mobility.

An API connection is all we need to get started, and we can uncover valuable crash probability intelligence right away. Contact Greater Than to learn more.